FUD and PITA

Posted Sep 23, 2011 17:40 UTC (Fri) by mchazaux (guest, #64024)
In reply to: FUD and PITA by dbruce
Parent article: Garrett: UEFI secure booting (part 2)

What about virtualisation?

FUD and PITA

Posted Sep 25, 2011 22:42 UTC (Sun) by rich0 (guest, #55509) [Link]

Ah, so you get the software compatibility of linux with the stability, performance, memory use, security, cost, and compatibility with old hardware of windows?

Virtualisation

Posted Oct 4, 2011 12:35 UTC (Tue) by robbe (guest, #16131) [Link] (1 responses)

On server-class HW you normally boot directly to the hypervisor (Xen, VMware ESX, etc.). If this secure boot scheme is extended to these machines, HW manufacturers would have to allow this as well, either via a bypass or carry the keys of VMware, Citrix et al. The latter would effectively tivoize Xen (which is GPL v2). Carrying and caring for more than one key is hard, a bypass switch is easier, and will support customers wanting to run Linux on bare metal (a larger percentage than in the desktop market).

Maybe this will spill over to the desktop area, but maybe not. There is not much overlap in motherboards for servers and desktops, currently.

Virtualisation

Posted Oct 4, 2011 13:46 UTC (Tue) by vonbrand (subscriber, #4458) [Link]

Want to apply a hotfix for some kernel (or whatever else) package in your shiny new <insert favorite server OS here>? Sorry, must wait until the vendor goes around to push it out... that won't fly very far. And won't work with enterprisey desktops either, with custom packages or select non-bleeding-edge software versions. To me it looks like the same wet dream of "large software vendor" that TPM was, which went exactly nowhere.